Pinoy crewman on cruise liner faces murder rap

LONDON (AFP) — A 48-year-old Filipino has been charged with murdering a fellow crewmember who died after an alleged argument below decks on the luxury cruise liner Queen Mary II, British police announced Thursday.

Rodolfo Detecio Juanga will appear before magistrates in Southampton, on England’s south coast, on Friday accused of killing fellow countryman Joel Jagatin Tagaan on May 12 while the ship was at sea.

Both men worked as electricians on the Cunard line flagship, Hampshire Police said.

The ship’s captain used his powers under section 105 of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 to detain Juanga until Hampshire Police officers boarded the vessel in Norway.

They have jurisdiction because the 1,132-foot French-built ship is registered in Southampton.

Tagaan, 39, who suffered serious head injuries, died as he was airlifted to hospital in the Netherlands. Juanga was not questioned until he arrived back in Britain.

The Queen Mary II was launched in September 2003 and made its maiden voyage in January 2004. It can carry up to 2,620 passengers, with a crew of 1,253. It cost an estimated $797 million to build and travels to destinations including New York, the Caribbean and Canada.